


Rimi's Gift of Fear

by la_comtesse



Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Lewd handholding, Scary Movies, it's unrelated to the rest of the fic, the kasuyuki is just a bonus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-17 11:03:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17559158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/la_comtesse/pseuds/la_comtesse
Summary: Ushigome Rimi runs into her senpai at the movies.





	Rimi's Gift of Fear

“Ushigome-san.”

“Sayo-senpai!”

Ushigome Rimi wasn't expecting to see her stern upperclassman at the cinema, but here they were, standing in front of each other, partially eaten snacks in hand. Rimi had been waiting in line to purchase tickets for the latest summer horror hit, Zombie Apocalypse 2, while munching on a chocolate cornet--one of many--she'd brought over from Yamabuki Bakery. While waiting, she spotted a flash of flowing teal hair, and before she knew it, she was face to face with Hikawa Sayo, who looked rather embarrassed at the fact that one of her underclassmen--and from Poppin'Party, no less--had caught her in the act of shoveling cheese fries into her mouth.

Rimi put her own snack back into the paper bag it came in and made a half-hearted attempt at crumpling the end of the bag to close it off. Shoving it into her pink flower-patterned knapsack, she nervously cleared her throat. “Sayo-senpai, are you about to watch a movie too?”

Sayo, trying to maintain what remained of her dignified air, dabbed a napkin at the corners of her mouth before responding. She straightened her back and looked directly at Rimi, causing the younger girl to shy away a bit. “Yes, in fact I am. I was going to watch--” Sayo quickly scanned the movie listings. “...I was going to watch Zombie Apocalypse 2.”

Now, Sayo wasn't originally planning on picking that film. In fact, she'd come to the theatre to watch a superhero movie that Ako kept talking about before and after practice. Sayo would never admit it out in the open, but when it came to topics like games and movies, Ako knew what was fun. Plus, the superhero film in question supposedly had a legendary soundtrack. One of Sayo's favorite bands played the songs in both the introductory parts of the film and the credits sequence. It was a movie Sayo could not afford to miss.

But Sayo had not been planning on seeing someone she knew at the cinema. She wasn't close with her underclassmen by any means, and out of Poppin'Party, she probably spoke the most to fellow guitarist Hanazono Tae. Sayo couldn't even recall if she'd ever had a proper conversation with the timid bassist standing in front of her. Even so, she didn't want to tarnish what she hoped looked like a serious image by picking a hot-blooded superhero movie in front of a younger student. And when she saw the selections, the other choices were a romance film (who was she, Lisa?), three different anime films, some kind of childish-looking cat movie called Kitty Cat Catastrophe, and Zombie Apocalypse 2. Great. Zombie Apocalypse 2 it was, then.

To Sayo's surprise, Rimi's eyes brightened. “O-oh! You are? I was going to watch that movie as well! I heard it's really good!”

Sayo was trapped in the conversation now. She put her hand on her hip and tried to recall what she knew of the movie. She did very little to keep up with popular media outside of music. “Zombie Apocalypse 2… It's an indie film, yes? I do believe the first one was a sleeper hit, which is why they made this sequel.”

“Yes!” Rimi's nervousness was replaced by excitement. “The first one was so much fun! Ah, this question might be redundant, but did you watch it, Sayo-senpai?” She clasped her hands together in front of her chest and looked up at Sayo, waiting for her response.

Sayo looked away for a moment. She had not, in fact, watched it. Sayo remembered that sometime during Zombie Apocalypse 1’s first week in mainstream theatres, Hina watched it and went home raving about how “boppin’” and “zappin’” it was. At that time, Sayo was still rather distant from her sister, and so she made every attempt to avoid the movie. Much to her chagrin, it gained a fair bit of popularity both in Japan and overseas, extending its run in theatres, and she had to deal with Hina's nagging to watch it with her for a while. Sayo shuddered at the memory. 

“Sayo-senpai, are you alright?” Rimi looked at her with wide eyes. She looked like a frightened rabbit.

“Ah, my apologies, Ushigome-san. I was just… remembering something about it. No, I didn't watch it myself, although I heard it was quite frightening, and my sister told me about it. I was remembering that.” Sayo wasn't entirely lying, but she had to provide an explanation if she were to salvage the conversation with her kouhai.

Rimi smiled, though she still looked rather anxious. “Oh, that's okay! I think Zombie Apocalypse 2 has a standalone storyline, but it's also supposed to be scarier than the first!”

That… that was going to be a concern for Sayo. Unlike Hina, she didn't much have the stomach for horror. But she had already gotten this far, so she couldn't back down. 

“I… I'm fine with that. I can handle such things. I'm no coward.” Sayo isn't sure why she had to get so defensive, but her anxiety must have shown at that moment, because of what Rimi said next.

“Ah…” Rimi fiddled with the strap hanging off her knapsack, which was shaped like a chocolate cornet. “Sayo-senpai, would you like to watch it together?” She let go of the strap. “O-only if you'd like to, of course! Since we're both here already…”

Perhaps it won't be so bad if I watch with a kouhai. She might end up being more scared than me, Sayo thought. “Of course, I don't see why not.” 

Like that, they came to stand in line together. They didn't have much to speak about, although Rimi voiced her surprise at seeing Sayo outside of the band setting, which Sayo brushed off by asserting that she, too, took leisure time. 

The pair paid for their tickets separately. Rimi insisted on paying, since she just got an allowance and was the one who had noticed Sayo and invited Sayo to watch the movie with her, but Sayo was too prideful to accept the offer. As they walked into the theatre, the lights dimmed. 

“Just in time!” Rimi remarked. “I guess we won't have to watch a lot of ads!”

Sayo, walking next to her, kept silent.

The pair found decent seats in the middle aisle. There weren't many people there, since at midday it wasn't exactly prime movie-watching hours, though midday was the best time for Sayo since she had practice in the evening. As for Rimi, she just wanted to catch a time when there wouldn't be a lot of people in the theatre.

Just as Rimi said, they only had to watch a few ads before the name of the independent studio that had worked on the film showed up on screen. Sayo stole a glance at the girl next to her. Rimi was staring at the screen with bright, wide eyes, with an expression of subdued wonder etched on her face. Sayo gulped. Who was really going to be the scared one here?

The movie started out simply enough, with a group of high schoolers making plans to spend the weekend together and heading to the local shrine. Sayo resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It seemed like such a typical plot for a horror film in this day and age--what could be so groundbreaking about it? And where were the zombies?

As the movie progressed, Sayo could notice the subtle symptoms of zombification growing in one of the teens. There was also a notable change in the lighting and the score, altering the overall mood of the film. Sayo's scorn gave way to concern and eventually fear as the film dropped hints about the zombie outbreak, undoubtedly linked to the shrine in some way, as it was foreshadowed when the teens made their weekend plans. Noticing all these details about the composition, Sayo thought that perhaps she'd spent too much time talking to Yamato Maya during the Pastel*Palettes and Roselia joint practices. 

Then, she heard the rustling.

Sayo jumped in her seat and, without thinking, reached for the armrest on her right, not realizing that it was occupied by Rimi. When her hand made contact with someone else's skin, she stared, wide-eyed, at Rimi, who bore the same expression. Rimi looked from her arm, which Sayo had in a vicelike grip, to Sayo. Her other arm was frozen in its place above her knapsack, where she'd just began to pull out her bag of chocolate cornets.

“S-Sayo-senpai?” Rimi croaked.

Sayo immediately let go of Rimi's arm and placed both her hands in her lap. Ashamed, she twirled a lock of her hair and tucked it behind her ear. “I'm so sorry, Ushigome-san! I got… I got immersed in the film and mistook those noises for something else…” Sayo sounded like she was blabbering now, which she hated. But the sound of Rimi searching her bag for the chocolate cornets certainly did catch her off guard.

Hearing this, Rimi relaxed and gave her an awkward smile. “Aha, that's okay, Sayo-senpai. Hey, would you like one of my chocolate cornets?” She held out the paper bag to Sayo, who had resorted to tugging on a lock of her hair again in her nervousness. 

“I don't really offer my cornets, but you're my senpai and I figured you might want one…” Rimi continued to look at Sayo expectantly, waiting for her response. 

“N-no, it's fine, Ushigome-san. Thank you for the offer, though.” Sayo gave her an attempt at a reassuring smile.

Rimi took the bag back, but left it open at an angle, presumably so that Sayo could reach into the bag if she wanted to. “Okay, if you say so! But if you want one, just let me know!”

With the source of the sound having been discovered, they turned their attention back to the movie. Sayo's heart was racing at an unnatural pace, and she wasn't sure what was the cause. The film was certainly starting to live up to its reputation, but it wasn't just that--she was also surprised by her kouhai. Ushigome Rimi, the most soft-spoken member of a band full of energetic girls. Rimi was enjoying herself in spite of the sheer horror of what was happening on screen, and what was more, she was carrying herself with such politeness and kindness that it made Sayo feel bad for how she'd been dismissing her earlier. If Sayo could compare her to someone she was more familiar with, it would be Matsubara Kanon, who was in the next class over with Shirasagi Chisato. Kanon always got flustered easily, but she was brave when it counted and could get surprisingly outspoken when it came to her passions. Sayo got echoes of that here. But would Kanon be this brave after seeing what she was watching on the screen? Sayo doubted it.

At this point of the movie, there seemed to be a break in the tension, and so Sayo chose that as an opportunity to speak to the girl next to her. “Um, Ushigome-san.”

Rimi sat up straighter and looked back at Sayo, eyes wide as usual. “Yes, Sayo-senpai?”

“I'd like to try one of those chocolate cornets, if you don't mind.” Sayo brushed her hair away from her face and over her shoulder, trying her best to appear casual.

“Of course!” Rimi smiled and immediately reached into the bag. She handed a chocolate cornet to Sayo, fingers brushing as she did so. The sensation startled Sayo a bit. 

“I was wondering when you'd ask! Ehehe. They're from Yamabuki Bakery and they're my favorite thing!” Rimi giggled, temporarily lost in her own world.

Sayo looked at the pastry in her hand before addressing Rimi again. “Ah, yes, where your bandmate--Yamabuki-san--works, correct? Our vocalist likes the pastries there as well. Though, we do have a baker in our band and she's very good at what she does.” Sayo recalled the workouts she'd begrudgingly done with Aya and Chisato in the past to stave off the weight she probably gained from Lisa's cooking. Sayo would never know how Yukina kept her figure, what with Lisa being her next-door neighbor.

“Ahaha, isn't it great having friends who are good at that kind of thing? I could never pull it off myself… I'm so bad at baking…” Rimi replied. “And I can't do things like that for the band… Ah, I'm sorry, Sayo-senpai. I'm just rambling!”

The words slipped out of Sayo's mouth. “Well, Ushigome-san, I'm sure you have many other talents to be proud of. Don't put yourself down.” She caught herself and gulped, not knowing why she was being so nice.

“Sayo-senpai…” Rimi placed her hand on her chest. “Thank you!”

Sayo looked away and down at the chocolate cornet in her hand. “D-don't mention it.” Desperate to distract herself, she bit into the cornet. “Ah, it's good. This is very good!”

Rimi giggled again. “It is, isn't it?”

Of course it was at that moment that the movie decided to drop in a jumpscare. As soon as it did, with the zombie's guts glistening on screen in all their bloody and rotten glory, Sayo let out a yelp that sounded unnaturally like a crying puppy. As if by instinct, she latched onto Rimi's arm again, her other hand still gripping the chocolate cornet. 

Rimi was less startled by the zombie on screen than she was by her senpai holding onto her arm for dear life. “Uh, Sayo-senpai…” she looked at Sayo with a mix of confusion and concern, although she made no moves to remove Sayo's hand.

Sayo tried to move away, excusing herself. “I-I-I'm sorry Ushigome-san it was just so sudden I didn't see it coming it was right there and--”

“It's… It's okay, Sayo-senpai! You can… You can hold on to me if you'd like!” Rimi blurted out. “I heard this is the scariest part, so…”

Sayo stared at her in shock. “Ushigome-san, I could never--” She took a quick glance back at the film screen, a decision which she immediately regretted, as she watched her favorite character being viciously mauled. “Ah!” She grabbed onto Rimi's arm again. 

Rimi didn't seem to mind this time, because she simply continued to gaze at the screen in wonder. Without turning her head, her eyes locked onto the screen, she moved closer to Sayo and whispered, “Senpai! This part is supposed to be the best!”

Sayo looked from Rimi to the screen and back in disbelief. How could this girl find this kind of thing exciting? Sayo didn't have much more time to think about that though, because when the next scare popped up, she jumped again and tightened her grip on Rimi.

The rest of the film proceeded at a fast clip, packing on the jumpscares and the brutal zombie attacks that the earlier parts built up with their tension. Sayo wasn't sure how a simple zombie movie could be so effective, but she wasn't about to keep thinking about it, either. All the time, she never left Rimi's side, and it seemed like neither of them minded.

Finally, it ended. The audience waited with bated breath to gauge if there was another scare coming up, but when the credits started rolling, they let out a collective sigh of relief. Sayo was among the crowd that did this, and when she got back her bearings and looked up, she stared straight into Rimi's blushing face. Sayo made note of where her arms were wrapped… Apparently, at some point during the film, she had moved from simply grabbing Rimi's arm to clutching it tightly against her chest, while she herself had sidled up to the underclassman in a position that was definitely too close for comfort.

Sayo, now as red as Rimi, immediately broke away, babbling numerous apologies. Rimi covered her face with her hands in an attempt to hide her blush, but it clearly wasn't working. Eventually, they both calmed down, assuring and reassuring each other that what happened just now was definitely because of how scary the film was.

While they were in the middle of exchanging apologies, the lights came back on, bringing them both back to reality. Rimi paused and looked at Sayo for a few seconds. Then, she started laughing, her hand over her mouth. Sayo, still in shock, first from holding on to her kouhai and now from said kouhai's sudden laughter, eventually started to follow suit and let out a few giggles herself. There was no doubt that her image as the scary and never-smiling senpai had been obliterated in Rimi's eyes, but for that moment, she didn't care.

Rimi was the first to get up. She held out her hand to Sayo.

“That… that was a good movie, wasn't it, Sayo-senpai?” She gave Sayo a smile that seemed apologetic. “I'm sorry… was it scary for you?”

Sayo looked at Rimi's hand and, after contemplating it for a moment, decided to take it. She stood up to her full height, which was much taller than Rimi.

“It was, but…” Sayo returned Rimi's smile. “I had fun. Thank you, Ushigome-san.”

The two were quiet as they walked out the theatre, but they didn't let go of each other.

\----

Meanwhile, two other members of Poppin'Party and Roselia had also just finished watching a movie. 

“Yukina-senpai, Yukina-senpai! Is that Sayo-senpai over there? Oh, oh, and Rimi-rin, too!” Toyama Kasumi, the vibrant leader of Poppin'Party, dragged her fellow vocalist, Minato Yukina, along as she pointed across the theatre. 

“To-Toyama-san! Please don't be so loud! They might hear us!” Yukina tried to free herself from Kasumi's grasp. At this point, she'd have to tiptoe around the theatre if she didn't want to be seen by Sayo. The reason for that was that she'd just finished watching Kitty Cat Catastrophe. It was a fantastic film, in her opinion, mainly due to the high ratio of cats to people present in the film, but she knew that her guitarist would judge her pretty harshly if she learned about it.

“Why not? Don't you want to say hi?” Kasumi almost shouted. Yukina wondered why she'd agreed to go to the movies with her in the first place. She inwardly cursed her weakness for Kasumi's cat-ear hair.

“Toyama-san, I appreciate your attempts to get me to deepen my bond with my band members, but I assure you that I absolutely cannot be seen by Sayo in this theatre. Now, please stop dragging me along or I won't give you those vocal lessons next week.”

Yukina couldn't tell if she sounded more like a stern mother or a stern girlfriend. The thought concerned her.

“Awww… Okay, Yukina-senpai.” Kasumi visibly deflated and loosened her grip on Yukina, just so that they could now calmly walk side by side.

But nothing ever kept Kasumi down for long, because she immediately bounced back to being her hyperactive self. “Anyway, what movie do you think they were watching? And I didn't know Sayo-senpai and Rimi-rin were friends! I have to ask Rimi-rin about that later!” 

Kasumi continued blabbering, and all Yukina could do was smile and shake her head in response. She was also rather curious about why Sayo had been at the theatres with Poppin'Party's bassist--if there were any bassists Yukina would expect to see Sayo with, it would be Lisa, or perhaps Shirasagi-san from Pastel*Palettes. Still, she'd have to ask her that question when they weren't at practice. Speaking of, time went by at a breakneck pace whenever she was with Kasumi, and she suddenly remembered…

“Wait, Roselia's practice starts in ten minutes.”

Yukina, for her part, didn't regret it.

**Author's Note:**

> RimiSayo, everyone! Based on headcanons created by me and my friend, some of which you can view here: https://mobile.twitter.com/chuunihatboi/status/1086549300333563905?s=19 (I'm @sp1dermami.)
> 
> The KasuYuki scene at the end was just an excuse to insert an inside joke between us, but I also wanted to try my hand at writing Kasumi so there you go!
> 
> Please let me know what you think. Critiques are welcome.


End file.
